Southern Utah Snaps: Portraits

“When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.”
— Ansel Adams

Although our day in the studio was amazing and one of the funnest days of class yet, I must admit that being a model in front of the camera and playing editor were among my least favorite experiences of the semester. That being said, I understand now the importance of being placed in both those positions.

Photo by Joshua Kanerversky

Being in front of the camera places you in a vulnerable position that can't be appreciated fully until the lights are beating down on your lids and multiple lenses are peering down at your every imperfection. All I kept hoping was that the photographers clicking away were being respectful and leaving at least a few wrinkles to mystery and not peering directly up my nose. It was an act of faith and it was a great reminder to treat your subjects with dignity as you shoot. Knowing how it feels to have a camera up close and personal taught me what limits I need to consider when I am the one behind the shutter.

Photo by Joshua Kanerversky

In the same way, editing and critiquing someone else's work forces you to feel the flip side and learn respect for the other side of the trade. I have a tough time judging others work, especially with photography, because I find so much of what is beautiful is subjective. One of my personal favorite shots of the day was underexposed and any editor would probably throw it out first. I chose to edit a few of Joshua's shots because like me, it was his first time in a studio. I thought he did an excellent job with his exposure and the color and light in the glamour shots were spot on. He captured one of my favorite shots yet of me so I had to include it with the color saturation turned 100 percent down. I just can't help liking the feel of Black and White. I could't decide on what to critique except maybe the framing of some really great shots. He may have been facing the same challenge of finding space among the rest of us snapping away. I decided to crop a few below and turning up the saturation a couple notches, but I was happy to have so many wonderful expressions to choose from. Well done.

Photo by Joshua Kanerversky

Pinckney's Twelve

Of all the lighting setups, I enjoyed the challenges created by Rembrandt lighting to come up with a good take. When I say challenges, what I probably mean is frustration and the fact I had as much fun in the moment seems a little strange in retrospect. It was like a battle was being fought between the forces of light and shadow and I was caught square in the middle of the drama. The setup is easy with a key light facing the subject at a 45 degree angle just above their head and a backlight that shines down behind their body. Then a reflector can be used opposite the key to manipulate the light and create some interesting shots.

f/4 1/60 sec. ISO-400 75mm

The ultimate goal for a Rembrandt style photo is to have the subject's face well lit on one side and only a small triangle of light on the opposing cheek. Also, the size of the triangle should match in the width of their eyes and not extend pass the subject's nose. This isn't easily achieved when you are moving around and try to squeeze in from different angles. I found my best shots came when I just waited for my subject to move into position and watch how the light transformed their face.

f/5.6 1/25 sec. ISO-400 55mm

f/4.5 1/60 sec. ISO-400 110mm

f/4 1/125 sec. ISO-400 85mm

f/4.5 1/60 sec. ISO-400 105mm

Although the lighting setup in glamour photography is important, it seemed that interaction with the model was most important. The backlight should be setup to fully illuminate the subject and the key light needs to be dead on with a reflector to hep fill in the shadow areas. However, once the subject is fully and well lit the game changes from technical aspects to what you can draw out of the subject.

f/5.6 1/500 sec. ISO-3200 55mm

f/5.6 1/250 ISO-800 55mm

With many different photographers in the room and only one model at a time to work with, this can be the most difficult part of the day. I kept thinking I don't want to intrude on other's good take, but the fact is you have to get in there and direct the model's actions because anything creative and original comes out of what they do. Everything is drawn to the eyes for me and I like glamour shots where I feel the subject is staring into your soul. I think that is also why I find myself drawn to low key photos versus high key. With low key the subject is set apart from the dark background. There is less chance to get distracted by the surroundings and you are left with only your subject and their wonderful eyes.